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Overview

A silly shark and lobster are in a panic to ward off a land-bound menace in this comical ode to the power of suggestion, the joys of teamwork, and the fun to be found in a narrow escape.

Out in the sea, Shark told his friend Lobster one day: "Lobster, I'm scared!"

What could Shark possibly be afraid of? It seems somebody's told him about a thing that's full of teeth and stripes, and now he's scared of . . . tigers! Rumor has it these horrible creatures walk on their teeth, glow in the dark, and eat you up. Of course, there's nothing to be done but to build an undersea fortress that will shield Shark and Lobster from this terrible threat, and as word gets around, ocean friends from cuttlefish to spiky crabs get busy piling seven hundred rocks and an old piano to keep tigers away. But is their wall high enough to do the trick? Wouldn't a huge sea monster, big enough to swallow them all, do an even better job of protecting them?

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Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Irrational fear propels the silly undersea antics of best pals Lobster and Shark in this paper-over-board offbeat volume-an intriguing stylistic cross between picture-book and graphic-novel. Shark confides to Lobster one day that he's scared-of tigers. "I've heard of them! They walk on their teeth, they glow in the dark, and they eat you up!" confirms Lobster. In their zeal to protect themselves from the stripey menace, the friends construct a fortress, an act that attracts attention and help from a cuttlefish and a cadre of spiky crabs, who supply 700 rocks and a piano. The crew decides that a monster is the only sure-fire security solution and they fetch a huge, ugly sleeping one from deep below. When said monster awakes, tiger phobia suddenly becomes low on the list of worries, as evidenced by the sea creatures scattering willy-nilly, and the remnants of the black-and-white piano keys. Creating a fun sense of deep-water exploration, husband-and-wife team Schwarz and Stewart (The Adventures of a Nose) serve up a clever, vertically oriented format here. The hand-lettered speech bubbles and comics-like panels that alternate with full-page and full-spread illustrations, flooded with Stewart's ink-lined and digitally colored zany characters add to the appealing visual zing. Kids will savor knowing more than the undersea heroes, and appreciate the tale's triumphant message. Ages 3-6. (June) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Children's Literature

Children love silly. This book, with its whimsical illustrations and improbable story line, is sure to tickle the funny bones of the very young and nonreaders everywhere. Shark, way out in the sea, is scared, so he tells his friend, Lobster. Of what is he scared? Tigersthey walk on their teeth, glow in the dark, and eat you up! Lobster, who has also heard of tigers, is scared now, too. What to do? Build a fortress. With the help of cuttlefish, and their crab friends, Shark and Lobster pile up rocks. When they add a piano to the mix, they feel safe enough to break into song (with Cuttlefish tickling the ivories). But waitthey don't feel safe enough. They must fetch a deep sea monster to defend them. Bad ideathe real monster is far scarier than any imaginary ocean-dwelling tiger. Now what? Amid the laughter at these characters lies a lesson: perhaps fears get smaller if we take the time to think them through. Readers may be in danger of never getting to the story since the end papers and their sketches are such a joy. Shark doing a tap dance? Cuttlefish playing the piano? A catfish that looks like a cat and a jelly that resembles a UFO? How silly. 2006, Candlewick Press, Ages 2 to 6. Judy Crowder

Kirkus Reviews

An undersea tale with a distinct Aesopian flavor, bound at the top so that it opens vertically. Having heard that tigers are "full of teeth and stripes," a frightened shark enlists Lobster and other marine denizens to construct a fortress-but then, still apprehensive, pulls a sleeping monster up from the deep for further protection. Bad move, as Shark learns when the benthic behemoth awakes. The illustrations' tall, narrow shape enhances that deep-sea feeling, and the cartoon creatures that float past (spouting comments in dialogue balloons) add a surreal air-particularly the monster, which sports long eyelashes, oddly placed fins and a chorus line of female human legs on a rubbery, sickly green body. A merry chase later, Shark realizes that sharks are also toothy, and that Lobster is striped, so there's really nothing to fear from tigers. There's a moral there, somewhere. (Picture book. 6-8)

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Meet the Author

VIVIANE SCHWARZ says she has "always written things." After writing THE ADVENTURES OF A NOSE, her first book, which was also illustrated by her husband, Joel Stewart, she took some time off to get a master's in illustration. She says she is also working on a novel, "whenever I have the time." Viviane Schwartz lives in London.

JOEL STEWART created the art for THE ADVENTURES OF A NOSE, which PUBLISHERS WEEKLY compared to the work of Magritte. He is also the illustrator of the highly acclaimed picture books JABBERWOCKY and TALES OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSON. Joel Stewart lives in London.